Any receptacle or container made of metal, steel, or any other material designed for the solicitation, collection and temporary storage of donated clothing or other donations.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Washington as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 11-13-2008 by Ord. No. 41-2008; amended 3-25-2009 by Ord. No. 10-2009; 9-24-2025 by Ord. No. 19-2025]
A.
The purpose of this article is to implement the provisions of P.L. 2007, c. 209 (N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.60 et seq.) establishing guidelines for the use of donation bins throughout the Township of Washington as well as other types of donation bins.
B.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no person nor organization shall place, use, or employ a donation bin within the Township unless all of the following requirements are met:
(1)
Any and all donation bin(s) are for use by a duly registered nonprofit organization only.
(2)
All donation bins must comply with the regulations contained in N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.61(2) even where not repeated in this instant chapter of the Code of the Township of Washington.
(3)
Each nonresidential commercial premises devoted to nonprofit purposes, in addition to churches, are permitted to have up to three on site donation bins.
(4)
The donation bin(s) shall be appropriately located so as not to interfere with sight triangles, on-site circulation, required setbacks, landscaping, parking, and any other requirements that may have been imposed as part of the site plan approval for the premises, and shall be placed on a concrete surface.
(5)
The donation bins shall not be placed in a designated parking space, unless specifically authorized by the Zoning Officer.
(6)
The donation bin(s) shall not obstruct any egress door from any building, shall be not less than 10 feet from any fire hydrant or any Fire Department connection to any suppression system, shall be not less than 10 feet from any building overhang or eave or horizontal building feature, shall not be less than 10 feet from any building opening, and shall not be less than 100 yards of any place which stores large amounts of, or sells, fuel or other flammable liquids or gases or contains any emergency controls for the operation of any flammable or combustible liquid or gaseous dispensing operation.
(7)
The donation bin(s) shall be of the type that are enclosed by use of a receiving door and locked so that the contents of the donation bin(s) may not be accessed by anyone other than those responsible for the retrieval of the contents.
(8)
Each donation bin shall not cover a ground surface area in excess of five feet by five feet, nor be more than six feet in height.
A.
The owner(s) of any donation bin(s) shall be required to obtain a permit from the Township of Washington. The annual permit or permit annual renewal shall be issued by the Zoning Officer. The application fee shall be $25 annually.
B.
The Zoning Officer shall grant the permit or renewed permit if he or she can determine that the requirements set forth below have been met:
C.
The Zoning Officer shall not grant a permit to place, use or employ a donation bin if he or she determines that the placement of the bin could constitute a safety hazard.
D.
All permits issued hereunder shall expire on December 31 of each year, and an expiring permit for a donation bin may be renewed upon application for renewal and payment of the applicable annual fee.
E.
The owner of any donation bin which is sponsored by any department, committee, or agency of the Township shall be required to comply with the licensure requirements hereof, but shall specifically be exempt from the fee requirement hereof.
F.
The requirements of this article shall take effect upon adoption of this article for all new donation bins and upon the expiration of any current permits issued for any existing bins.
A.
It shall be the duty of each registered organization issued a permit hereunder to properly maintain and service any clothing donation bin placed within the Township so as to prevent such clothing bin from creating a nuisance, hazardous or unsafe condition in addition pursuant to the requirements of N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.61(2) and § 47-2 set forth herein.
B.
Each donation bin must be regularly emptied of its contents so that it does not overflow, resulting in used clothing or other items being strewn about the surrounding area.
The Township Zoning Officer or any designee of the Zoning Officer as a person authorized to enforce the provisions of this article shall, upon receipt of a complaint by a local resident or any other person that a clothing donation bin is causing a nuisance, hazardous or unsafe condition, investigate such complaint and take such enforcement action as is permitted pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.62 and N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.63.
Any owner of a donation bin who violates any provision of this section and fails to cure such violation consistent with N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.62 shall be subject to the penalties and remedies set forth and referenced in N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.63 including, but not limited to, a penalty and permit revocation.